Move to new center prompts special pet adoption rate

Walter M. Crowe Animal Shelter staff members Amanda Koon, Miranda Williams, Amanda Hinson, Lou Jackson, Charity Caldwell, Caitlyn Aldridge, Jean Dority, Jackie Helms, Rose Freeman and Director Sharon Jones are encouraging the public to adopt pets before the shelter closes and relocates to the Meyer-Thiel Pet Adoption Center on Black River Road. The normal pet adoption fees of $95 for dogs and $80 for cats has been reduced to $25, which covers an array of medical services to make sure your new family member is healthy and happy.

As the Walter M. Crowe Animal Shelter begins to close down so staff and animals can relocate to the all-new Meyer-Thiel Pet Adoption Center on Black River Road, the shelter is offering a special rate on pet adoptions.

Director Sharon Jones said the goal is to find permanent homes for as many of the shelter’s animals as possible so they will not need to be moved to the new facility. The shelter is moving to a completely remodeled former Coca-Cola building on Black River Road named for major donor Austin Meyer and the late Judy Thiel, a local animal advocate.

To encourage qualified applicants to adopt pets now, Jones said the normal adoption fee of $95 for dogs and $80 for cats will be reduced to $25. She said even the full fee doesn’t pay for all the medical services adopted pets receive and the $25 fee is a real bargain.

“We’re offering that starting this week, for qualified homes, the fee will be reduced to $25. $95 doesn’t even cover what we do for the dogs, it doesn’t even touch it,” she said. “$80 barely touches what we do for the cats, sometimes it doesn’t.”

Jones said the adoption fees pay for spaying or neutering the pet, a tracking microchip, 30 days of insurance, some vaccines, de-worming and heartworm tests and preventive medication for dogs.

“It’s a great deal at $95, for $25 it’s a steal,” Jones said. “People need to think about expanding their family now. They’ve got the kids back in school, things are settling down, so this is a good time to adopt a family member, or two.”

Jones said any animals moved to the new location will not be eligible for adoption immediately, as they must serve a period in quarantine for health reasons.

“They’ve got to be isolated, quarantined for a short while,” Jones said. “Some of our puppies that have had three or four vaccines wouldn’t have to be isolated for long.”

Jones said the present shelter has approximately 60 puppies and adult dogs and 30 cats ready to find new homes.

“We’ve got a lot to move and a lot to do, and I think we need to concentrate on that move. Not that we’ll ignore the animals, but we need to get ourselves down there, get organized and then bring the animals in,” Jones said. “So the fewer animals we have to take the better off it will be for us and for the animals.”